Sir Thomas

Wyatt
(1503-1542)

The Hind
 Introduction

This poem is one of the earliest

sonnets of English Literature.
It has fourteen lines and is divided
into two sections:
an eight-line section (the problem)
and
a six-line section (the solution)
Wyatt was a poet at the court of
Henry VIII and knew Anne Boleyn. It
seemed that Wyatt admired Anne
and the hind in this poem refers to
her.
 The Plot

The plot: The female deer is young and as hard to

catch as the wind. The hunter is tired of the chase and
is following behind other hunters. And the chase is
ultimately futile (useless), because the King has
claimed the deer as his royal property and he put a
diamond collar around her neck with the words
"Touch me not, for I belong to Caesar, and though I
seem tame, I am too wild to hold."

It was a capital crime in those days to hunt the royal

deer, and indeed Wyatt almost lost his head for
pursing his King's lover.
 Theme:
Courtly Love

Early English sonnets focused on romantic and

idealized love. The love sonnet often
celebrated the woman's beauty, comparing
her features to forms in nature. For example, a
poet might compare a woman's cheeks to
roses in bloom. In "Whoso List to Hunt," Wyatt
describes the woman as a deer, who is
chased in an passionate fashion. While she
does not speak, she holds a sort of dialogue
with the narrator through her actions and
through the display of her collar.
Poem Summary
Lines 1-4
The narrator states that for those who wish to
hunt, he knows of a particular hind (a female
deer). The narrator himself is trying to abandon
the hunt, admitting that this hind is beyond his
reach. He is wearied (tired) from the vain
travail (the useless work) of the hunt; he has
begun to recognize that the hunt is futile
(useless). He laments that he is so tired and he
is the last of the hunters, the one "that farthest
cometh behind."
 Lines 5-8

In the second stanza, the narrator

states that he cannot take his mind
from the deer. He says that when
she flees he follow her. However, he
is finally forced to abandon the
chase, as she is too fast and that
catching her is impossible, just like
catching the wind in a net.
 Lines 9-14
The poet withdraws his invitation to hunt this
hind. Their hunt would be in vain and no one
will catch her, as the hind wears a diamond
collar around her neck announcing that she
belongs to someone else (Caesar or Henry
VIII).
The final couplet notes that the collar reads
"Noli me tangere," or "Touch me not" in Latin.
Thus, the warning is "Touch me not, for
Caesar's I am." And the deer herself declares
that while she appears tame, holding her is
dangerous, as she is wild.
 Figures of Speech

Line 1:...Metaphor: comparison of a woman to

a hind (female deer)
Line 1: ..Alliteration: Whoso list to hunt, I know
where is an hind
Line 3: ..Alliteration: so sore
Line 5:...Alliteration: Yet may I by no means my
wearied mind
Line 8:...Metaphor: comparison of catching
the hind to catching wind with a net.
Line 14:.Paradox: And wild for to hold, though I
seem tame.
 Style: Allegory
An allegory is an extended
metaphor where objects and events
hold symbolic meanings different
from the outside meaning. In Wyatt's
sonnet, the hunter's pursuit of the
hind represents Wyatt's pursuit of
Anne Boleyn, and the hind's saying
she belongs to Caesar represents the
"ownership" of Anne Boleyn by King
Henry VIII.
 Glossary
1....Whoso: Whosoever, whoever.
2....list: Desires, wishes.
3....hind: female deer and metaphor for Ann
Boleyn.
4....hélas : Alas in French,
5....Draw: Withdraw.
6....afore: Before.
7....Sithens: Since.
8....Who list her hunt: Who wishes to hunt her.
9....graven: Engraved.
10..Noli me tangere: Latin, "Do not touch me,"
11..Caesar's: Henry VIII's.